The bout, which was part of The Ultimate Fighter 14 Finale, was one of only two that didn’t feature cast members from the current season of the reality series. The main-card bout aired on Spike TV following prelims on Facebook, and it took
place at The Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas.

After some initial tentativeness, the punches and kicks flew a few minutes into the first round. Ferguson struck first with an uppercut that stunned Edwards, and he poured it on with follow-up punches until he was slowed with a counter-high kick.

Edwards, though, appeared to even the score in the second round with a stiff body kick and punches that badly bloodied Ferguson’s nose. Like the first, much of the action was back and forth, though Edwards mixed in a late-round takedown.

With the fight likely determined in the decisive third round, each popped the other with single shots and the occasional counter-punch. Neither could put together a sustained attack despite a frenetic pace. While Edwards threw more strikes, Ferguson continually pressed forward in the round.

Ultimately, it was the judges’ decision to make, and it could have gone either way. But they unanimously (and perhaps surprisingly) saw a clear-cut winner and awarded Ferguson the decision victory via scores of 30-27, 30-27 an 29-28

“I didn’t think it’d go all three, but I’m glad it did,” Ferguson said. “I learned a lot in this fight. … He’s a heck of a fighter. I take my hat off to him.”

Ferguson (12-2 MMA, 3-0 UFC) extends his win streak to five fights, and he’s won eight out of his past nine. Edwards (41-18-1 MMA, 9-6 UFC) suffers a setback after a recent 4-1 run in the UFC.

Ronda Rousey’s statistical greatness has already ventured into uncharted territory – just six fights into her UFC career. Check out all the post-fight facts, including Rousey’s latest achievements, about UFC 190.